There was a time when Ike Larsen was viewed as a near surefire NFL draft prospect.
Maybe not an early-round pick, but a mid-to-late selection.
When people talked about Utah State and the future NFL players that were on the team, it was Larsen whose name was frequently dropped first, followed by wide receiver Jalen Royals, a fourth-round selection this year by the Kansas City Chiefs.
“When the moment gets bigger (Ike) tends to get better. And that’s a great trait.”
— former USU coach Blake Anderson on Ike Larsen
There was genuine thought that Larsen might leave school early to go pro and it made sense to believe that.
In 2022 and again in 2023, Larsen was a difference-maker for Utah State. A playmaker extraordinaire, if you will.
“The guy just has a knack for finding the ball,” former Utah State coach Blake Anderson said back in 2023, following a convincing USU win over Colorado State.
“People like him and (Anthony Switzer) and MJ (Tafisi), they’re just calm in the moment. Their body control at the point of attack is really really good. He (Larsen) is not afraid of the moment.
“Most people get there and honestly can’t make the play. They miss it. They close their eyes and their technique is bad,” he continued. “When the moment gets bigger (Ike) tends to get better. And that’s a great trait.”
To Anderson’s point, as a redshirt freshman in 2022 — a year in which he only started four games — Larsen led the Aggies with four interceptions and three blocked kicks. No player in program history had ever blocked that many kicks in a single season, and Larsen did it as a redshirt freshman seeing his first major playing time at the collegiate level.
The next season, Larsen may have been better. At the very least, given a larger role (he started all 13 games) his overall production ramped up. Larsen finished the 2023 season with 103 tackles (58 of which were solo) — the second-most on the team. He also recorded a team-high four interceptions and a team-high two blocked kicks. Oh and he had six pass breakups as well, second-most on the team.
Something happened last year, though. Larsen, while still productive statistically — he finished the year second on the team with 80 tackles (55 of which were solo), had a team-best nine pass breakups and one interception — was far from his usual self.
He was more undisciplined, particularly in coverage, and didn’t wrap up his tackles nearly as well as he had proven capable. Somehow Larsen largely went unnoticed in many games, his game-breaking playmaking ability absent more often than not.
The 2024 season was a disastrous one for USU, starting with the unexpected firing of Anderson, the promotion of new defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling to interim head coach, quickly followed by the tragic death of transfer defensive back Andre Seldon Jr. And when Utah State could have used Larsen at his best, well, he was far from it.
Per Pro Football Focus, Larsen was demonstrably worse last season than he had been previously in his career, his overall grade dropping to a 58.7 in 2024, well below the 74.8 he earned in 2023 and the 89.6 he received in 2022.
His coverage grade was 55.2, which put him as the 739th best safety in coverage out of 858 players graded. Meaning, 86% of safeties who played college football last year were better than Larsen in coverage.
It wasn’t just coverage either. His pass rush grade was 59, which was mediocre at best for his position. He was slightly better in run defense — he graded out at 65.9 — but that still put him in the bottom 41% of safeties.
It isn’t just PFF that noticed the precipitous drop in Larsen’s play. New head coach Bronco Mendenhall was unfamiliar with Larsen before taking over the USU job — despite Utah State and New Mexico playing last season. Mendenhall wasn’t shy at Mountain West media days, noting that Larsen had been better earlier in his career than he was in 2024.
“Ike has had a strong career,” Mendenhall said. “I didn’t know much about Ike prior to coming to Utah State, as I’ve been out of the state for a while. Earlier in his career, stronger performances. Last year, not as strong.”
There is reason to believe that Larsen will return to form this season, though.
The senior has been noticeable on social media, not as much his own accounts like in the past but on Utah State football’s official accounts. The reason? He’s clearly tried to take on a leadership role, something he appeared to shy away from last season.
“You got a really instinctual player. Got a lot of God-given talent.”
— USU QB Bryson Barnes on Ike Larsen
Mendenhall noted that Larsen is eager to get back to playing like he used to.
“He’s anxious to relink the upcoming year to what he’s truly capable of,” Mendenhall said. “To what will be needed from him and the secondary in general.”
Larsen is still Larsen. He’s unique in a lot of ways. It can be difficult to pin down who he is in just a few words.
“Ike is always going to be Ike,” senior defensive tackle Gabriel Iniguez Jr., said at MW media days. “He just does his own thing.”
The talent remains, though. Game-breaking talent. It never left.
“You got a really instinctual player,” senior quarterback Bryson Barnes said. “Got a lot of God-given talent given to him.”
The hope is that Larsen makes good use of it in 2025 and ends his Utah State playing career on a high note.
To his benefit and the Aggies.
